Monthly Archives: November 2011

After participating in the vision of an Asian American church for an extended period of time, Ken Fong sensed the Spirit calling him in a new direction. The senior pastor noted that they voiced two different directions – so they … Read the Post

Pastor Carson’s story shows how transformation is not a straight line. Turbulent economic times forced many commuters at Carson’s congregation to stop coming to church in an effort to save money on gas. This difficult loss led the church to … Read the Post

Pastor Elwood Carson, of New Life in Christ Church (Los Angeles), shares about how evolving neighborhood demographics prompted him to learn Spanish. Over time, as church members engaged their neighbors, a series of events and experiences led this predominantly African … Read the Post

Pastor Ken Fong discusses how Evergreen Baptist Church moved from being a Japanese American church to an Asian American church. He tells of how the Japanese Americans displayed an attitude of openness toward the Chinese American newcomers, but real intercultural … Read the Post

Mark Lau Branson, Ed.D.

Mark is the Homer L. Goddard Associate Professor of the Ministry of the Laity at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where he teaches courses in congregational leadership and community engagement.

Juan F. Martínez, Ph.D.

Juan is Associate Dean in charge of the Center for the Study of Hispanic Church and Community and Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Pastoral Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

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That is the purpose of our writing: to help men and women in our churches to see differently and to gain the skills and competencies needed for multicultural contexts. We want to encourage church leaders to create environments that make God’s reconciling initiatives apparent in church life and in our missional engagement with neighborhoods and cities.

Using the frameworks of practical theology and missional ecclesiology, we provide an introduction to the work of leadership and to social theory, including matters of social contexts, cultural variables, and ethnic identity.